Tully Tuesday Volume 47. Give Ryan Day his flowers

Author

Tim Tully
January 21, 2025

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I tried to tell you. I told you on the Tuesday following the Michigan disaster, here’s what I said at the time

Ohio State’s “plan” was to play the game between those units. There was no effort to expose the glaring weaknesses on Michigan’s defense, and there was not near enough aggression to take the kicking game out of the game and saying we don’t think your offense is good enough to make us pay. Which was true. 13 points wins you this game 1 time since 1996 and Ohio State played to score one more point than Michigan rather than the margins of 14,29,3,23,29 in the last 5 wins in this rivalry. Michigan wins the scrappy low scoring games; Ohio State blows them out. That has been the history of this rivalry for 25 years now.

I don’t think a result shy of a National Championship makes this a success of a campaign for Ohio State. You’ve lost your two biggest games this year. Even winning a title with that black mark in November on your schedule would keep this from being one of the best seasons in School History. It means more, and I think Ryan Day would be the first to tell you that. It’s a part of the job, the responsibility that you will be judged based on how you perform on the last Saturday of November, and that remains a glaring stain on Ohio State in the post Urban Meyer era we are in.

And you know what the worst part of the whole disaster is? Ohio State SHOULD win the National Championship. On a neutral field there is a not a playoff team you would confidently take to beat them until probably the National Championship.

OSU will probably have their toughest test in the first round of the Playoff vs Tennessee at home. I’ll take that roll in 20 degree weather against Tennessee and their freshman quarterback. Then a neutral site game against Georgia or the Big 12 winner? Sign me up. Penn State or Indiana or even Notre Dame in the Semi-final? These are all teams Ohio State should handle soundly, particularly once they slide into a dome and start relying on the skillsets that got them where they are and not running into the Center’s ass all game.

Play your game, and nobody can hang with you. That’s the truth, and Ryan Day deserves all the credit in the world for doing the hard work after the Game and evaluating how they needed to attack going forward. Chip Kelly must be the happiest guy on earth. Never won the big game at any level, no Super Bowl, lost a National Championship to Cam Newton 15 years ago. Now he comes back to help his protege get over the hump. And help him he did. The offense in the playoff was maybe the best stretch of college football offense in history. They put up 28+ against 4 straight Top 8 teams, including the Top 2 Title Contenders with Texas and Oregon. You can tell how much the guys on the team wanted to win for each other, but really wanted to win for him. He could be boisterous, he could say F the haters, and he immediately points back at his team. That’s a Championship Football Coach.

The game got tight, and my Cowboys heartbreaks over the years have hardened me to these situations, but OSU always seems to find a way. The deep ball to Jeremiah should be one of the defining plays in the history of the University, and he may have a few more before he goes to the league in 2027. What a stud that guy is.

I tried to tell you again before the Playoff

 

My biased mind just doesn’t see Tennessee coming into Columbus with a freshman Quarterback and winning in the cold. My sports writer brain has talked myself into the Will Howard Ohio State Redemption story. I think Ohio State has enough talent and has gotten kicked in the face hard enough to wake up and put on a show Saturday. I don’t have the ability to think otherwise.

Outside of Oregon I don’t think there is an elite team in the field. I think they are in a tier alone, but after their performance against Penn State I do think they can be had, I just don’t know if they will be had after a 3 week break. The Ohio State Oregon game will decide the National Championship.

Penn State is in a no win situation because they have no excuse to not coast to the final four. Notre Dame Indiana is the best game this weekend but I don’t think Indiana will be able to slow down the Notre Dame running backs. With all the build up I can easily see 4 blowouts coming down the chute here this weekend. For my sake I hope I’m right.

If you’d like a pick, I think you parlay the first 3 favorites, ND, PSU, and Texas. If that hits put it on OSU ML or Jeremiah Smith ATD if your state allows. I just think each home team has significant advantages and the nature of the games being playoffs takes away the upset factor in my opinion.

I just have to much skin in the game to really give you a fair look at the Playoff. All I know is there are 10 Teams that can’t beat Ohio State in this field. The two that can are Oregon and Ohio State.

And I tried once more before the Oregon game

For the Buckeyes I’d like to beat Michigan. Ohio State has won 10 of the last 14 meetings but that’s just not good enough. That’s really the only improvement I can hope for them, considering they are going to win the National Championship this year.

Oh wait what?

Yes.

There was something about this team, as Colonel Jessup said, the Michigan loss while tragic probably saved lives. And my existence, while tragic and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. College Football couldn’t handle the truth, because deep down at places they talk, parties, they want the Buckeyes on that wall. They Need the Buckeyes on that wall.

I’m thrilled. I’m about to drop my OSU future winnings on every Peter Millar National Championship item on the store. But I’m gonna make sure to save some to run it back next year. Because Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith aren’t going anywhere.

The New playoff gives teams so much room in season for development. Smith got so much better during the season. The Offensive line was ravaged by the mid-way point but had enough time to figure themselves out. It’s such a benefit for the top tier programs who may have had to wait a year for their first years to contribute. There’s plenty of time to ramp guys up, and you have 2 losses to give. It’s just about getting to the dance.

I’m a Ryan Day guy. I got close. I’ll be honest. I was mad, I was despondent, but he got it done. And he deserves the hero’s welcome that awaits him in Columbus

That was fun, and it overshadowed the tragic loss from my adopted Baltimore Ravens. In the 10 weeks I’ve been a Ravens fan, that has to be one of the most heartbreaking losses I’ve had. And yes I had +1200 pregame for that game to go to OT. Poor Mark Andrews. Great player, came up short. I think Lamar’s playoff situation is complicated because of the QB competition he faces in the AFC. Allen, Mahomes, and even Burrow will be there year after year for the Ravens unless they get the one seed. If you’re a diehard BMore Birdhead you gotta root for LAC to knock KC down a peg, because if the Chiefs keep getting the Texans or whatever weak 4 seed they get every year at home off the bye, they’re going to keep punching AFCc tickets, and it will be Lamar vs Allen on the other side.

I’m bummed out that the Eagles and Commies are in the NFC Championship game. I will absolutely be rooting for the Commanders for 3 reasons.

  1. It’s always and will forever be always Die Eagles Die.

  2. Kellen Moore needs to just take the Cowboys job already

  3. The Commanders won’t beat KC or Buffalo in the Super Bowl. The Eagles could.

My small heart has grown and I’m very happy for my cousins and friends from Maryland and Virginia where I grew up, they have been through some serious shit with that team, not all to dissimilar to my Cowboys bullshit. The Karmic influence of them finally breaking through may be enough, and their rise gives me hope as the Cowboys are only a decade max from a new owner, which has proven to be the fastest way to change a bad franchise.

Til next week

National Champs

TT